The prestigious annual Rose D'Or Awards (now in their 55th year) honour the very best of international radio, TV and online entertainment programmes, and the awards ceremony took place last night (Tuesday, September 13th 2016). Over 400 programmes from more than 130 broadcasters and production companies in 33 different countries were submitted for this year’s Rose d’Or awards. For the first time, a new competition category, 'Radio Event Of The Year' was created. We entered European Dawn Chorus in this category, and we're absolutely delighted to let you know that ... drumroll... WE WON!!! We're absolutely thrilled to pieces, and a massive thanks to all our EBU and BirdLife International partners, we couldn't have done it without you! Click here to read more about the 2016 Rose D'Or awards (in which legendary funnyman John Cleese picked up the Lifetime Achievement award), and click here to relive - and re-listen to - all the beautiful Dawn Chorus birdsong from right across Europe.

***STOP PRESS*** Dawn Chorus Picks Up Another Award!

We're thrilled to let you know that on Friday, October 7th, the Dawn Chorus won the Innovation Award at the PPI Radio Awards in Kilkenny!

On Mooney today

Derek talks to the Bewleys master toaster who’s been made honorary consul of Nicaragua. The Genealogy Roadshow sets out again to unravel the mysteries in our family histories. And Brenda Donohue reports from Majella O’Donnell’s Mooney house party!

Resignation Of Pope Benedict

Last night, Derek dreamt that he was requested to sign a resignation letter from Pope Benedict. If any of us were to resign, we would have to submit a letter of resignation to HR - but what does His Holiness have to do? To answer that, Derek is joined on the line by Father Michael Collins, curate at St. Mary's on Haddington Road in Dublin, and author of Vatican - Secrets and Treasures of the Holy City.

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Majella O'Donnell House Party

On September 3rd of last year, Majella O'Donnell was on the show. She told us about how she knew straight away, that one day she would marry Daniel. On their second meeting, she told him this and he didn’t run for the hills. Instead they did got married and settled in the hills of Donegal.

As everyone was chatting, Brenda asked her to take part in a House Party for one listener. And plenty of you thought it would be great to have her singing in your front room, but it was two nuns, Sister Anne and Sister Mary who won out in the end...

The nuns live in a housing estate in Blanchardstown and last week it was buzzing, as Majella O'Donnell kept her word and delivered a house party. Brenda Donohue reports back from one very special night...

There were all ages in the house, with lots of platters of food. The nuns are presentation sisters living in the community. Sr. Mary works in the local primary school and Sr. Anne works with a teenage group called Rainbows and with the prison service. They share a 10 year anniversary with Majella, as they explained to Brenda...

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Bewley’s Nicaragua Consul

What’s your favourite coffee? Is it a Cappuccino, a Frappuccino, an Americano, an Espresso or a Latte. Do you like it iced, sprinkled with cinnamon powder, flavoured with peppermint or chocolate or decaffeinated?

And what size of cups do you prefer? Tall, Grande, Trenta? A visit to any speciality coffee these days really can be a bewildering experience, as Frasier Crane discovered!

Coffee is the world’s second most popular beverage, after tea and it really is big business. Paul O’Toole is Ireland’s leading coffee expert. He’s buying director for Bewley’s and he’s just been appointed Honorary Consul of Nicaragua in Ireland. He joins Derek in studio today to explain exactly what that entails...

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Hedgerows: It is an offence to 'cut, grub, burn or otherwise destroy hedgerows on uncultivated land during the nesting season from 1 March to 31 August, subject to certain exceptions'. For more information, click here.

UPDATE: February 29th 2016 - Press Release From BirdWatch Ireland:

Putting the record straight: Dates for burning and hedge-cutting have NOT changed

BirdWatch Ireland, Ireland’s largest conservation charity, is very concerned about misinformation that is currently circulating regarding the dates within which the burning of vegetation and cutting of hedges is permitted. It would like to remind landowners that all burning and cutting must cease on 29th February this year and that burning and cutting remains prohibited from 1st March to 31st August.

Despite attempts by the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys T.D., to change the laws regulating these dates by introducing the Heritage Bill 2016 earlier this year, it is important to note that the proposed date changes were ultimately NOT made. This is because the bill failed to pass through both houses of the Oireachtas before the recent dissolution of the Dáil in advance of the general election.

The laws in place governing the dates for hedge-cutting and upland burning therefore remain unchanged. The period within which cutting and burning is prohibited are set down in Section 40 of the Wildlife Act 1976 (as amended in 2000), which states that:

(a) It shall be an offence for a person to cut, grub, burn or otherwise destroy, during the period beginning on the 1st day of March and ending on the 31st day of August in any year, any vegetation growing on any land not then cultivated.
(b) It shall be an offence for a person to cut, grub, burn or otherwise destroy any vegetation growing in any hedge or ditch during the period mentioned in paragraph (a) of this subsection (above).

The existing law provides exemptions for road safety and other circumstances and should be read carefully to ensure compliance.

Section 40 of the Wildlife Act exists to protect nesting birds. Many of our upland bird species are in decline and are in danger of extinction in Ireland; amongst them is the Curlew, which has declined by 80%. Many birds which nest in hedgerows into August are also in serious decline, including the endangered Yellowhammer. The changes to the cutting and burning dates which had been proposed in the now-defunct Heritage Bill 2016 would have caused serious impacts to these birds. A petition launched by BirdWatch Ireland in conjunction with several other national conservation organisations to stop these changes attracted more than 16,200 signatures and rising.

BirdWatch Ireland would also like to advise members of the public that if they see hedges being cut or fires in the uplands on or after 1st March, such activity could be illegal. In such cases, we would encourage people to contact the National Parks and Wildlife Service (www.npws.ie) to report such activity.

BirdWatch Ireland warmly welcomes the demise of the Heritage Bill 2016 and sincerely hopes that any future administration will consider the importance of Ireland’s natural heritage and will not attempt to reintroduce such a flawed and damaging piece of legislation.

RTÉ.ie is the website of Raidió Teilifís Éireann, Ireland's National Public Service Broadcaster.RTÉ is not responsible for the content of external internet sites. Images courtesy of Inpho.ie and Getty Images.